About the Editor

Carlos da Silva Campos.

Professional journalist, with background on the economical press and Packaging Editor since 1982, heading independent magazines REVIPACK (packaging), REVIPLAST (plastics) and REVIPROJECT (automation).
Lawyer since 1984 and and Packaging Consultant since 1986, working for several industry associations related to packaging and recycling. Honorary Member of IPPO - the International Packaging Press Organisation. Served as Vice-President (1996-1999) and Chairman (1999-2002).

After a significant slowdown in the late 2000s, the global market for metal packaging has recovered its growth with the highest rates registered in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In its new report, Smithers Pira estimates the market will grow by around 3% in 2016 to reach $106 million, driven mainly by increasing demand for metal packaging in emerging and transitional economies at a time when demand in more mature markets is likely remain flat. Going forward, the global market metal packaging is forecast to grow at an annual average rate of 4% to reach 128 million USD by 2021.

In terms of global trade, many developing countries such as China, India and Brazil have long been associated with significant manufacture and international exports, providing goods for the world, but not consuming them domestically. This is no longer the case.

2014 proved to be a record year for Can sales, with almost 63 thousand million cans filled in Europe, an increase of 4%, as reported by Canadean, commissioned by Beverage Can Makers Europe (BCME) . Carbonated Soft Drink (CSD) fillings increased by 5% to almost 32 thousand million cans, exceding, for the first time those of Beer. With an increase of 2%, Beer fillings has made a remarkable performance, considering the overall drop in beer sales of over 1% across the European region. With 31 thousand million beer cans filled, cans represent 22% of total beer sales.

"These excellent results were delivered despite a moderate summer, whilst the Football World Cup proved beneficial, helping deliver a positive contribution to can consumption" – says BCME. The winning nation, Germany, saw Beer filling increase by 8%, confirming an accelerating positive trend within this market. The increasing range of Beverage Can styles and sizes now available to brand owners aids product differentiation, permitting a wider more diverse range of products to be packaged in cans and increasing consumer consumption occasions.

BCME members are the major European beverage can manufacturers Ball, Crown and Rexam.

Rexam has been chosen by Sagres, the Portuguese beer brand, to manufacture the cans for the limited edition beer with can designs that promote the cultural diversity of ten regions in Portugal. The cans use Rexam’s HD printing techniques and matt-over-varnish finish to bring to life the illustrated designs. Designed by Joana Vasconcelos, renowned Portuguese artist, the limited edition range celebrates Portuguese passion for the arts and home grown talent. The 33cl cans were produced out of Rexam’s La Selva plant in Spain, which recently underwent an extensive engineering project to now operate with aluminium-only production lines.

Despite economic turbulence and a slowdown in growth in several of the largest emerging markets in Asia and South America, the aluminium aeroson can industry grew 2% in 2013 and reached the record mark of seven billion cans. Aluminium cans account for nearly 50% of the total worldwide output of aerosol cans, reports AEROBAL, the International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers. About 80 per cent of total production continues to go to cosmetics. Noteworthy growth in the pharmaceutical and food industries gives hope for very promising market opportunities.

Metal Packaging Europe reported 73% as the 2011 recycling rate for rigid metal consumer packaging (European average, EU 27+EFTA), with an increase 2.8 percentage points. This makes rigid metal consumer packaging the most recycled packaging in Europe, says MPE. The extra recycled tonnage of 188kt of steel packaging and aluminium beverage cans in 2011 equals an increase of 7% over 2010, resulting in a total of nearly 2.9 million tonnes of metal being recycled back into packaging or into other useful products such as building parts, automotive parts or even into bicycles. Although Metal Packaging Europe is confident that the sector will be able to meet its voluntary European average recycling target of 80% by the year 2020, there is a strong need for more collection and better sorting of packaging waste. In this respect Metal Packaging Europe would very much welcome minimum performance criteria for extended producer responsibility schemes.

Colep, major global contract manufacturer, part of the RAR group (Portugal), and Scitra, a United Arab Emirates based company, part of the Albatha Group, agreed to join forces to create an aerosol contract manufacturing operation in the UAE. The Joint Venture will operate under the name of Colep Scitra Aerosols. The parties will invest in expansion and improvement of the existing Scitra aerosol filling plant in Sharjah UAE, aligning it with international standards required by multi-national branded companies in the personal care and home care industries.
The operation will serve the PAFTA and COMESA countries of the Middle East and Africa.

Colep, a RAR Group company is a global leader in the consumer goods packaging and contract manufacturing industries. With a turnover of 543 million euro in 2012, Colep employs around 3,600 people in Portugal, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Spain, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Scitra, a member of the Albatha Home and Personal Care Group, has been based in the UAE for over 30 years. During that time is has become one of the GCC’s market leading contract manufacturers of home and personal care products.

Year after year, Coca-Cola has encouraged people to share happiness and has even provided surprising ways to share a Coke. But, until recently, one thing couldn’t be shared: the can.

What if they could?

Ogilvy & Mather Singapore and Ogilvy & Mather France pooled resources and thinking to take the Coca-Cola can and design it to be twisted, turned and shared.

“Half for you and half for someone you love,” explains Leonardo O’Grady, director of integrated marketing communications, Coca-Cola ASEAN. “The Coca-Cola sharing can is at the heart of the brand’s optimistic and social spirit and heritage over the past 127 years… and delivers yet another unexpected moment of connection and happiness."

The concept You Tube video (posted 29 May) has got 1 434 295 views (today). A sucess. But the sharing can concept is not a real prototype. Coca-Cola as no plans to produce and fill such ‘turn and share’ cans. The concept is an excelent marketing ideia, but difficult and expensive to implement in terms of can production and filling lines.